Loved ones say goodbye to Mich. boy killed at playground

Close family friend Lexi Lyke, left, hugs Connor Verkerke's mom, Dani, during the memorial service for Connor at Cornerstone Church in Caledonia, Mich.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: August 13, 2014

CALEDONIA TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 9-year-old fatally stabbed at a playground near his western Michigan home was remembered during a memorial service today as a big-hearted and fun-loving boy who was taken much too soon.

The boy, called Connor by family and friends, was playing with some other children on the playground in Kentwood, near Grand Rapids, on Aug. 4, when witnesses say one boy pulled a knife and stabbed Connor in the back.

Connor died at a hospital, and the alleged assailant, a 12-year-old, is facing a murder charge.

The service today, though, was largely free of talk about the incident. It was all about Connor, whose father called him “one of my heroes.”

“I have never known anybody” who loved as much as “my 9-year-old son,” said Jared Verkerke, one of several family members, teachers and others who spoke at the service.

Connor was the oldest of four boys. At one point, his 7-year-old brother Kameron got out of his chair on stage, walked toward the audience and spoke into a microphone that the pastor handed him.

A judge on Monday ordered a mental competency exam for the 12-year-old boy charged in Connor’s death.

The Associated Press isn’t naming the 12-year-old because of his age. He’s designated as an adult in the juvenile court system, meaning he’d be sentenced as a juvenile if convicted and then resentenced as an adult once he turns 21.

State mental health experts will examine the 12-year-old and report on whether they believe he is mentally competent to stand trial. That is expected to bring a delay of several months.

About tbo (Tampa Bay Online) provides local news and information for Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater and communities throughout Tampa Bay. Originally published by The Tampa Tribune, tbo is now among the portfolio of brands powered by the Tampa Bay Times.